Daniel Sturridge - Where is the love?

Supporters of Liverpool Football Club love their strikers. They always have. Going right back to when Bill Shankly reincarnated the club in the 1960’s, the Kop have had a long list of goal scoring idols. From Ian St John to Roger Hunt. From Hunt to Kevin Keegan. From Mighty Mouse to Kenny Dalglish. From the King to Ian Rush. From Rushy to John Aldridge. From Aldo to Robbie Fowler. From God to Michael Owen. From the treacherous Welshman to Fernando Torres. From the treacherous Spaniard to Luis Suarez. The Kop loves nothing more than someone who constantly sticks the ball in the back of it’s net.

Liverpool are currently in a position where they have 2 of the 3 top goal scorers in the league but the love of the people seems to be directed significantly more at one than the other. Luis Suarez, summer transfer saga and all, gets away with a bit more than Daniel Sturridge and he certainly gets his name sung more often. Perhaps that’s only natural. Sturridge isn’t at Suarez’s level when it comes to entertaining the masses. He isn’t quite as charismatic or talented as his Uruguayan partner in crime either, but he’s not a million miles away and his performances deserve a little more adulation and recognition than he has been receiving of late.

Don’t get me wrong, Sturridge is hardly being booed by fans or heavily criticised. Indeed, he is praised far and wide by Liverpool supporters in the main but there is still a slight lack of warmth to Sturridge that seems strange. When he played for England against Germany last week while he carried an injury, Liverpool fans were annoyed. So was his manager. Brendan Rodgers basically told the press that it was Sturridge’s fault that he couldn’t start the last Saturday’s match as he’d prioritised an international friendly over a local derby. Pretty understandable criticism and it was hardly excessive but it should be put into context. Steven Gerrard had far more reason to pull out of that game with Germany given his age, the fact that he needed a pain killing injection and the fact that no matter what happens between now and June, he will be starting England’s World Cup games.

Sturridge on the other hand, despite being the top scoring English striker in the land, has a lot to prove at international level. He’s only scored twice for his country in nine outings, one being a penalty, the other coming against the mighty San Marino. It’s only natural that he wanted to go out against Germany in a high profile match (or as high profile as any friendly match involving a Roy Hodgson team can be) and show what he could do, injured or not. The fact that he was unable to start the game against Everton allowed Rodgers’ to have a slight pop at his striker, but it’s doubtful that Luis Suarez or Steven Gerrard would have received a public rebuke in the same circumstances.

That dance gets another airing at Goodison Park 

Sturridge copped a bit more flack recently when Liverpool lost away at Arsenal. Late on, Luis Suarez ran clear on the Arsenal goal and elected to shoot rather than attempt a pass to his strike partner. In truth, he had every right to. The pass to Sturridge was not an easy one and Suarez would have scored 9 time out of 10 from the position he found himself in. Unfortunately this time he missed. Sturridge threw his arms in the air and screamed at Suarez for ignoring him. Cameras showed slow motion replays of Sturridge’s reaction and there were more than a few people unhappy with his actions. Let’s compare and contrast this with a recent on field Suarez outburst.

Against Everton, Joe Allen found himself with a chance that he would score 99 times out of a 100. He was clean through 1 on 1 with Tim Howard and had most of the goal to aim at. He also had Luis Suarez to his left who was in a position bordering on offside. He made the right choice and went for goal. He shot wide. It was a horrendous miss. Suarez’s reaction? To barack Allen and gesticulate wildly a la Sturridge at the Emirates. The only difference is that no one is really pulling Suarez for his petulance. He gets a pass because he’s so brilliant. Sturridge seemingly doesn’t receive the same leeway despite the fact that, for Liverpool, he is also pretty damn brilliant.

Suarez celebrate another goal together 

Those illustrious names from St John to Suarez that were mentioned earlier all failed to produce goals at the same rate as Sturridge has thus far in his Anfield career. Indeed, Daniel is the quickest of the lot to get to 20 goals for Liverpool. Before him, Fernando Torres held the record. He took 31 games to do it. Daniel Sturridge took 26 (and a few of them were coming off the bench). We all remember how loved Fernando Torres was now, don’t we? He was an icon on Merseyside as soon as he slipped a shot past Petr Cech at the Anfield Road end on his home debut. Perhaps if Sturridge came from sunny Spain and had flowing blonde locks and a smile rather than arriving from Chelsea and wearing a scowl he’d be more feted.

Perhaps if he didn’t arrive with a reputation for being aloof, selfish and arrogant, Liverpool fans would love him that bit more than they currently do. In fairness to Sturridge he’s done all he can to shed the negative image he arrived on Merseyside with. His goal celebration might not be to everyone’s taste but it’s clearly jocular and a bit of self deprecation. The fact that he seeks out a youngster in the crowd at the end of every match and hands his shirt over to that child also demonstrates a softer side as well as some maturity. Dancing with a fan on camera in a car park is hardly the action of a man who takes himself too seriously either. All in all, his behaviour since walking through the Paisley gates has been pretty much exemplary. Had Fernando Torres been shown on the internet getting out of his car to dance with a young fan one can imagine how much adulation he’d have received.

Maybe it’s because ‘Sturridge’ is a hard name to get into a song. Maybe its simply that local lads and foreigners have more mystique to them than a lad from Birmingham who has played for Manchester City and Chelsea. Whatever it is, right now Daniel Sturridge doesn’t quite get the adoration that great Liverpool strikers have in the past. But he really should. In three or four years time he is far more likely to still be banging in goals at the Kop end than Luis Suarez. In less than a year he’s elevated himself from a fringe player at Chelsea to one of the best strikers in England and he is still young with areas of his game that can be improved. If I were a betting man than I’d be more than happy to wager that in a couple of years time Daniel Sturridge will be one of Europe’s top forwards. You could argue that he’s nearly at that level already. It’s high time he was celebrated like those who have gone before him.

Merseyside Derbies - Six of the best

It’s derby week so what better than to take a short trip down memory lane and remember some classic Liverpool victories from the Premier League era? In no particular order, here are six of the best.

Liverpool 3-2 Everton 3/4/99 - Given Liverpool’s good run of results in derby matches over the past 15 years or so, it may come as a surprise to younger Reds fans that this hard fought victory was actually their team’s first win in ten meetings with their blue brethren.  The game is widely remembered for Robbie Fowler’s line sniffing celebration (or ‘eating the grass’ as Gerard Houllier put it) but it was fantastic game all round and started a seismic shift in derby results. Everton took the lead in the very first minute of the game when Olivier Dacourt fired an incredible 30 yard half volley into the top corner of the Kop net to leave Anfield with a then familiar sinking feeling on derby day. Liverpool responded though and their captain Paul Ince was fouled in the box after quarter of an hour which allowed Fowler to convert and taunt his tormentors with his infamous celebration.

An 18 year old Steven Gerrard celebrates with Patrik Berger

Just 6 minutes later, Fowler would put Liverpool into the lead with his 6th goal in 5 derbies when he headed home from a Patrik Berger corner that Steven McManaman had helped on at the near post. Steven Gerrard was introduced for Vegard Heggem for his first taste of derby football aged just 18 after 71 minutes before Berger made it 3-1 to Liverpool with a volley 8 minutes from time. Francis Jeffers gave Everton a glimmer of hope just 2 minutes later with a lovely spin and finish in the box to make it 3-2. In the final minute, David James went walkabout outside his area and the ball eventually dropped to Danny Cadamarteri in the Liverpool box. The young Everton striker looked sure to gain his side a share of the spoils but his strike was repelled on the goal line by the fresh faced Gerrard whose clearance won Liverpool the game. It wasn’t to be the last time Evertonians would bemoan a decisive derby intervention by the young man from Huyton….

Everton 1-3 Liverpool 28/12/05 - Just 3 days after Christmas, Liverpool gave their fans a belated seasonal gift with one of their most dominant performances at Goodison Park in recent memory. Rafael Benitez’s side made it 9 league wins in a row on a freezing cold night where the gulf in class between the two teams was frankly, huge. The reigning European champions took the lead through Peter Crouch after just 10 minutes when the striker finished off a fine passing move by rounding Nigel Martyn and slipping the ball into an unguarded net. Liverpool’s superiority was rewarded further just 7 minutes later when Steven Gerrard fired in from 20 yards with the aid of a deflection off Joseph Yobo. At this point it looked like like Liverpool would win at a canter but a James Beattie header got Everton back into the game before half time.

Peter Crouch and team mates celebrate the striker's opening goal

After the break though, Liverpool reasserted their dominance quickly. Djibril Cisse forced his way past David Weir two minutes into the second half before curling an exquisite shot into the far corner and celebrating wildly in front of the jubilant away supporters. Phil Neville and Mikel Arteta were both sent off with the score at  3-1 to complete a miserable night for Everton. As disappointing as this result was though, worse was to follow for the Blues in the return match at Anfield that season…..

Liverpool 3-1 Everton 25/3/06 - Liverpool again ran out comfortable winners in this match despite losing their captain early on. Steven Gerrard received two bookings within a matter of seconds in the 18th minute of the first half to leave the travelling Evertonians jubilant in the Anfield Road End. The Blues’ supporters cheered the dismissal of Gerrard like a goal and waved off the Liverpool skipper, confident of securing a first win at Anfield since 1999 with Liverpool down to ten men. In first half stoppage time however, Phil Neville put through his own goal with from a Liverpool corner and from that moment, the whole game turned on it’s head with Xabi Alonso putting in one of his best performances in a Liverpool shirt as he dictated the game despite his side’s numerical disadvantage.

Steven Gerrard departs after his early red card

Luis Garcia scored just after half time, racing on to a long ball from Pepe Reina that Peter Crouch flicked on and lobbing Richard Wright at the Kop end before Tim Cahill brought Everton back into the match with a headed goal from a corner. The Blues’ revival was short lived however, as Andy van der Meyde was sent off for an elbow on Alonso which made it 10 vs 10.  Harry Kewell wrapped up the three points with a wonderful 25 yard effort to take Liverpool into second place in the Premier League table after denying David Moyes an Anfield victory once again.  

Liverpool 2-1 Everton 14/3/94 - The last derby played in front of the world renowned standing Spion Kop was also Roy Evans’ first as Liverpool manager. Dave Watson’s headed goal on 21 minutes suggested that Everton, managed by Mike Walker, may just spoil the Anfield party as Liverpool fell behind. The Blues’ bubble was immediately burst though as just 30 seconds later, with Sky television still playing replays of Watson’s opener, Everton’s bete noire Ian Rush made it 1-1 with a volley to capture his 25th goal in Merseyside derbies. Legendary Everton keeper Neville Southall had to pick the ball out of his net again just before half time when Robbie Fowler sprung the offside trap and finished low into the far corner as he bore down on goal.  It was the last derby goal ever scored in front of the standing Kop and, fittingly, the winning goal also.

The now departed standing Spion Kop 

Everton 2-3 Liverpool 16/4/01 -’The Gary Mac’ derby. Not much else needs to be said, but it’s always nice to look back on this modern classic. Gerard Houllier’s Liverpool team took the lead through Emile Heskey before Duncan Ferguson rammed home an equaliser for the home side. The Reds went back in front after a wonderful finish from German full back Markus Babbel before Robbie Fowler hit the post with a penalty and cult figure Igor Biscan received his marching orders for a second yellow card. Everton looked set to grab a point when they levelled again with a David Unsworth penalty and it looked like Houllier’s men would have to try and hang on for the draw.

Gary McAllister and Jamie Carragher celebrate 'that goal'

Deep, deep into stoppage time though, Gregory Vignal was fouled just inside the Everton half and after stealing ten yards or so, Gary McAllister stepped up to steer a 44 yard free kick into the bottom corner of Paul Gerard’s net to write himself into derby folklore. The victory was a catalyst for Liverpool who went on to secure a unique treble (League Cup, F.A Cup and Uefa Cup) and qualify for the Champions League.

Liverpool 2-1 Everton 14/4/12 - A league cup title aside, this was the undoubted highlight of Kenny Dalglish’s second stint as Liverpool manager. Going into the game Everton were widely considered the favourites as Liverpool’s league form had nose dived since the turn of the year. Before the game an impeccable minute’s silence was held to honour the victims of the Hillsborough tragedy, and both sets of fans were rightly acclaimed for their behaviour during the biggest derby in years. After a scrappy opening, Everton went ahead when Nikica Jelavic took advantage of a mix up between Daniel Agger and Jamie Carragher after 24 minutes and steered calmly past Brad Jones who was deputising for the suspended Pepe Reina and Alexander Doni in the Liverpool goal. All was going to plan for David Moyes’ side until a catastrophic mistake from Sylvain Distin swung the game in Liverpool’s favour.

Liverpool's match winner celebrate their semi final victory

Under little pressure out on the left wing, Everton’s centre half attempted to play the ball back to goalkeeper Tim Howard but underhit the pass woefully which allowed Luis Suarez to equalise with ease as the red half of Wembley erupted. With the game still level in the 87th minute, Liverpool’s unlikely hero would be Andy Carroll who, despite having missed the easiest chance of the game just after half time, rose to head home Craig Bellamy’s inswinging free kick to earn his side a place in the final. Chelsea would overcome Liverpool 2-1 in that final but despite that ultimate disappointment, this was a day that will be remembered fondly by Liverpool supporters and especially in the Dalglish household.

Beat the rest, forget the best - How Liverpool can make the top 4

We’re 11 games in to the season and the Premier League table of 2013/14 has already split in two. It has an established top 8 clubs consisting of the two Manchester sides, Liverpool, Everton, Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea and the surprise package of Southampton. Of the remaining twelve clubs that will likely fill the bottom 12 positions, only West Brom and Swansea look like coherent teams with defined styles of play and discernable plans that offer hope for improvement. Sure, sides like Newcastle have enough talented players in their ranks to throw up surprises from time to time, but in general terms the bottom 12 teams are a group ranging from the hopeless to the average.

Simple maths states that there are 72 points waiting to be accumulated against those second tier Premier League clubs. That total alone is enough to almost guarantee a Champions League finish come May. Last season Manchester United beat every team from 12th position down both home and away, amassing a gargantuan 54 points in the process. While Man City faltered against several of the bottom half sides, United eased their way to a 20th title despite having a much weaker squad than their neighbours thus highlighting just how important it is to beat the dross that unarguably exists within England’s much celebrated top flight.

Currently Arsenal lead the pack in England with Liverpool lying in second place. Neither club has looked flawless or even close to top class but both of those sides have (so far) mastered the art of beating the teams that they are expected to. Indeed, in the case of Liverpool, they have put many of those opponents to the sword with relative comfort  (3-1 vs Crystal Palace, 4-1 vs West Brom, 4-0 vs Fulham, 3-1 vs Sunderland).

Rodgers' side are dispatching the Premier League's poorer sides

The two games that Liverpool have lost this season have been against pressing aficionados Southampton who squeezed the Reds high up the pitch and defended immaculately and the leaders Arsenal who simply had too much quality for Liverpool on the night. The only other top tier opponents Liverpool have faced was Manchester United who they beat 1-0 in a scrappy affair at Anfield. Three points from three games against direct competitors isn’t scintillating form, but it’s not actually proving that important as things stand.  

Over the last few seasons Liverpool suffered numerous frustrating games both home and away against the lesser lights of the Premier League so Brendan Rodgers and his side deserve credit this season for chugging along at a ratio of over 2 points a game so far. The fixture list has been relatively kind up to now but that should not detract from the progress Liverpool have made. They are getting the results that are always expected but have rarely been guaranteed in recent times. Whereas last season Liverpool always looked likely to slip up in games against smaller clubs, not many teams look like they will be able to cope with the Reds this season, especially at Anfield.

Previously, when Liverpool dropped silly points, it was usually against stubborn, obdurate sides who would cede possession, defend deep and look to frustrate them. The likes of West Ham, Stoke, Reading and West Brom all had success with this method in Rodgers’ inaugural season. Such tactics now look increasingly unlikely to bother the Reds.

Teams who have come to Anfield and tried to sit back and soak up pressure this term have been dispatched with consummate ease. Instead, having the guts, stamina and tactical nous to press Liverpool intelligently now looks the best way of winning points against Rodgers’ men, and not many teams have been prepared to adopt such methods this term. If teams stand off against Liverpool these days and let them play then they are more than likely to find a way through. If the incomparable Luis Suarez isn’t the man to do it then Daniel Sturridge probably will. If Sturridge doesn’t, then Philippe Coutinho can unlock a door at any moment. If the little Brazilian isn’t at his best then Steven Gerrard’s delivery can still hurt you and even if the skipper isn’t on form then you constantly have to deal with the threat of the perennially underrated Glen Johnson bombarding you down the right flank.

Liverpool have attacking options that are currently seeing them comprehensively overwhelm lesser sides and that could be their trump card when it comes to securing Champions League football. If teams wish to trust to hope and attempt to cling on for 90 minutes against a side which has an array of attacking quality then more fool them. Liverpool’s weaknesses (and there are plenty, the Reds are nowhere near the finished article) are exposed when sides put them under pressure, not when opponents allow Liverpool to play on the front foot. The encouraging thing for Brendan Rodgers is that so few teams outside of the top 8 are equipped or willing to do so and his team are reaping the rewards as a result.

Liverpool have four extremely tough away games on the horizon starting with the Goodison derby a week on Saturday quickly followed by trips to Spurs, City and Chelsea before we roll into 2014. Perhaps more important than that daunting quartet of fixtures though, are the games against Hull, Norwich, West Ham and Cardiff which also take place before the turn of the year. If Liverpool manage to continue their pattern of putting the smaller sides to the sword and pick up maximum points from those games against the lesser teams then the pressure going into the matches against the top sides will be eased exponentially. Even with poor results against their rivals at the top, a perfect record in the four upcoming easier games would keep them in touch at the top given the nature of the league this season.

It sounds counter intuitive to suggest that games against relegation fodder are more important than the traditionally billed ‘six pointers’ against Champions League rivals, but when you see how often teams at the top are slipping up this season and how Liverpool still lie second despite unimpressive losses to Southampton and Arsenal, it becomes apparent just how crucial it is to continue amassing points against the teams further down the table. 

David Moyes' side are back in contention 

One need only look at how close Manchester United are to the top of the league despite picking up just one win (against Arsenal) and five points from five games against their direct rivals. Sure, getting hammered at City and losing at Anfield was bad for United and drawing with Southampton and Chelsea at home are no reasons to celebrate either, but those early losses and draws already look less significant now than they did three or four weeks ago. Apart from their win against Arsenal last weekend, what results have helped move United from crisis point back into the title picture over the last month? Wins against the awful Stoke, Sunderland and Fulham offset by a home point against Southampton. It’s hardly a sequence of results that would have Bayern Munich shaking in their boots, but it’s been enough of a run to propel United back into contention in the Premier League.

After the turn of the new year and this run of tough away games, the only top 8 teams that Liverpool have to travel to are Southampton and Manchester United.  If the Reds are still in touch with the league leaders come January, then Champions League football for next term will be there for the taking.

Regardless of how they fair at Goodison, White Hart Lane, Eastlands and Stamford Bridge over the next few weeks, Liverpool simply need to keep doing what they are doing and putting away teams who make up the second tier of the Premier League. All the top sides are likely to take points off each other and regarding Champions League qualification, it will be beating the rest, not the best, that could ultimately prove crucial.

We need to talk about Steven Gerrard...

Steven Gerrard’s career will be remembered for a collection of logic defying moments exhibited on the grandest stages. So why does it feel as though his career is winding down in such a tepid, understated manner?

Seldom has a player had such an all encompassing effect on a football club as Steven Gerrard has at Liverpool. At times over his illustrious career the local lad from Huyton has carried his team on his back. He’s carried them into Europe. He’s carried them to glory. He’s carried them into the history books. For a few years he was undoubtedly one of the top few players in world football (regardless of what Alex Ferguson’s latest pay day reads) and quite possibly the most complete footballer on the planet. Whether he was playing as a wide midfielder on the right flank, operating as a number ten or even filing in at right back, for over a decade Gerrard’s performances typically ranged from the very good to the truly exceptional.

That being said, Gerrard’s career has always created debate. Many observers thought that he was wasted out wide by Rafa Benitez and he seemed to agree (despite being voted footballer of the year after occupying that role back in 2005/06). People even claimed that Gerrard wasn’t suited to playing as a number 10 while he racked up an incredible number of goals and assists dovetailing with Fernando Torres. Conventional wisdom in England generally casts Gerrard as a default central midfielder. Roy Hodgson and Brendan Rodgers obviously seem to agree with that consensus as they have almost exclusively played him in that position over the past 18 months for club and country. It is in central midfield where Gerrard says he feels most at home. Indeed, Rafa Benitez’s reluctance to play Gerrard in a central role during his stint  as Liverpool manager was regularly used as a stick to beat the Spaniard with. Hindsight seems to be proving Benitez right though (no manager has ever had Gerrard playing to the same level of excellence as Benitez did) and right now Liverpool are suffering the consequences of Steven Gerrard the central midfielder.

When he was King: Steven Gerrard in Istanbul, May 2005

This isn’t an assertion based on the back of one bad performance at Arsenal, nor is it even a new observation. This is a quandary that has been debated and debated by Liverpool fans for nearly a decade. Last Saturday evening Gerrard was cruelly exposed in his preferred role. Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta frequently surged pr player their way past Gerrard and his midfield partner Lucas Leiva with alarming ease. Gerrard and Lucas looked as though they were a couple of toddlers caught in the middle of the waltzers while Arsenal shirts circled them at high speed and left them dizzy. The fact is that, even with the industry and youthful legs of Jordan Henderson for support, Gerrard and Lucas simply couldn’t cope with an Arsenal team that possess exceptional movement in the centre of the park. They were overmatched physically and not for the first time.

Liverpool’s midfield has been the least impressive section of their team this season and against a confident and talented Arsenal group they were put to the sword. It was a sad sight to see players like Ramsey and Arteta move away from Gerrard as if he were a pensioner and it was sadder still that Brendan Rodgers neglected to change things in that area of the pitch as Lucas and Gerrard struggled to the nth degree all night long with no tactical or personnel adjustments. Lucas and Gerrard can both do a fine job from deep midfield position but as a pair against decent sides, they are imbalanced. And more importantly, since when has doing ‘a fine job’ been associated with Steven Gerrard?

Liverpool’s best midfield combination over the past 15 years was that of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano. Alonso, even in his early twenties, was less mobile than even the current incarnation of Gerrard. He was however, able to dictate games from deep because he had the incredible engine of Mascherano alongside him. He was also more tactically astute and positionally accomplished than Gerrard is in the same position and as a result Alonso was also able to contribute far more defensively by regularly breaking up play despite a chronic lack of pace. Alonso and Mascherano were a wonderfully balanced double pivot that gave Liverpool a fantastic base in the middle of the park.  

Fast forward to the present day and the pairing of Lucas and Gerrard are comfortable against the 12 or 13 average sides that occupy the bottom positions in the Premier League. However, they are both pretty one paced players these days and against sides with energy and/or genuine tactical  quality, they struggle. Southampton pressed the life out of Liverpool at Anfield and Gerrard and Lucas couldn’t cope. Arsenal simply overwhelmed them with movement. There is no real shame in that as Gerrard is 33 years old and Lucas has never been selected to get around the pitch ala Mascherano, but the fact that Brendan Rodgers seems unwilling to find a solution to such a problem is worrying.

If Liverpool want to achieve Champions League qualification then they will have to eventually start beating or at least not losing to the top 7 or 8 sides in the Premier League. Given that away matches against Everton, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham lie in wait before the end of December, that needs to start happening pretty soon. Alternatives to the Gerrard/Lucas axis exist and should be tested. Thus far, Rodgers simply hasn’t bothered.

Aaron Ramsey skips past Steven Gerrard at the Emirates

Rodgers will invariably play Gerrard and Lucas together in the centre of the park for 90 minutes if they are fit. It’s incredibly rare that Gerrard even gets taken off for the final few minutes of a game let alone being rested on the hour mark, being allowed to start a game from the bench or being used in a different position. It is a quizzical pattern. At Gerrard’s age you would think that his legs should be saved as often as possible. Having to manage his way through 90 minutes every week with an ageing body is not allowing him to cut loose and maximise the wonderful gifts that he still possesses. Neither is consistently having to play from so deep on the field. Long gone are the days of those trademark edge of the box strikes and tidy finishes when bearing down on goal. Instead they have been replaced with consistent, uninspiring, solid games played generally in the middle third of the pitch.

Physically, Gerrard is obviously not what he was but he is still more than good enough to offer an awful lot more to his side than he is at present. The problem is, he can’t really do it from the position he occupies in Rodgers’ side and nor can he do it when he’s playing every minute of every game. He’s invariably found far too deep to offer a goal threat and simply isn’t a natural defensive midfielder. As a result, he is often caught between two stools and is neither a creative force nor a defensive shield for his side. What we are seeing is a watered down version of Steven Gerrard. He’s still capable of playing well and this season he generally has, but he’s also capable of being far more effective than he currently is.

Think about this for a moment: What game has Gerrard dominated for the Reds since moving back into central midfield when Rafa Benitez left? Not many come to mind, do they? There was a derby at Anfield where he scored a hat trick under Kenny Dalglish but that apart there haven’t been many moments like those that will define his career when he eventually hangs them up. That’s not to say he hasn’t played well, he has. But he is an extraordinary player with incredible talent. To quote the adage, he’s a special player who does special things at special times. Or at least he was when he was given the opportunity to. There is a sense of waste when you see him simply going through the motions in games, conserving his legs and doing a decent job for his side in midfield.

It sounds as if I am blaming this solely on Brendan Rodgers’ reluctance to move Gerrard out of central midfield but I believe the player himself must also shoulder some of the blame. As mentioned earlier, Gerrard has always wanted to play in this role. He’s always seen it as his best position. Well, whether Gerrard likes it or not, his best performances throughout his career have rarely occurred when he has played as a deep central midfielder. It is baffling to me why a player who achieved genuine greatness in advanced positions constantly wanted to go play in midfield. It remains so and one wonders whether Rodgers has the guts to get his captain out of this inhibiting role to release the shackles that Gerrard seems to embrace.

The thought of a Liverpool side taking to the pitch while a fit Steven Gerrard takes his place on the bench is almost impossible to imagine but that day has to come sooner rather than later. Gerrard can no longer be asked to play every minute of every game and quite frankly, his form doesn’t merit it either. Gerrard needn’t necessarily be relegated to the bench on a weekly basis, but other avenues should be explored to get the best from him. He can still offer great delivery from wide areas still and could be immensely effective playing further forward or being brought on late in games. Currently he is offering no goal threat from open play and precious little creativity and he should be even if it means coming off on the hour mark or coming on as a substitute now and again.

There is not one obvious solution to the Gerrard problem but perhaps there needn’t be just one solution. It will not be rectified by simply asking Gerrard to go and play as a number ten every week like he did with Torres. Nor would it be reasonable to expect him to play from the right every week. However, Gerrard still has numerous talents and numerous ways of hurting opponents. It would be nice to see them harnessed the way that Rafa Benitez used Gerrard’s attributes to benefit his side. He played high up the pitch and wide so often because he had deadly shooting in and around the box and could deliver wicked crosses. There is little doubt that Gerrard’s shooting and distribution could still be highly potent weapons for the Reds but right now he’s offering no threat with either skill as he plays in the comfortable surroundings of his favoured deep midfield position.

Instead of winding down his career comfortably, wouldn’t it be nicer to see Steven Gerrard produce a few more glorious match winning moments, even if it meant that his involvement was reduced slightly? Sometime soon Anfield will rise and applaud arguably their greatest ever player off that famous turf for the last time. Does anyone really want that to come at the end of another 90 minute 6 out of 10 performance sitting in the centre circle? Wouldn’t we all rather it come after he produced one final cameo where he rasped one final 20 yard drive into that Kop net? Wouldn’t we all rather be seeing such things now rather than the limited output that Steven Gerrard was able to serve up against Arsenal?